About ninety-nine point seven billion naira worth of properties have been saved from fire incidences recorded in Lagos State in the last one year.

This is because the government stepped up its emergency apparatus to respond to fire disasters and other emergency situations.

According to Commissioner for Special Duties and Intergovernmental Relations, Oluseye Oladejo, in line with government’s resolve to prevent and manage fire outbreaks across the state, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode approved the creation of four new fire stations in the State.

According to him, as at now, Lagos State can now boast of fourteen Fire Stations across the State and all are equipped to combat fire outbreak.

Oladejo said government had scaled up activities in Monitoring and Surveillance in the State and also intensified safety advocacy campaign to inform, educate and enlighten the public on the prevention and management of fire outbreaks.

He said the Lagos Safety Commission was saddled with the responsibility of setting safety standard for business premises, event centres, churches and other public buildings.

Oladejo, therefore, called on stakeholders to join hands with government in a bid to reduce emergency response time while also urging Lagosians to explore the limitless opportunities available on the platform of the State Command and Control Centre and continue to call the emergency toll free lines – 767 and 112 for distress calls.

He said government’s decision to replicate the Lagos Response Unit in other locations in the State was to take the service closer to the people, noting that emergency rescue was a matter of response time and proximity of the service providers.

Responding to complaints as to why some members of the defunct Neighbourhood Watchers were not absorbed into the recently inaugurated Neighbourhood Safety Corps, the Commissioner explained that some were found wanting during the period of screening, saying those who passed the screening have been employed into the Corps.

He allayed fears that some politicians might have hijacked the recruitment process, noting that Governor Ambode had appointed a retired Deputy Inspector General, Israel Ajao to head the NSC so as to forestall such occurrence.